Chapter 7 Wireless LAN
PLA5236 User’s Guide
32
• PA = Powerline Adapter
• APN = Your existing wireless router or AP wireless Network
• PL = Powerline connection
Using a PE is desirable when you want to expand your existing wireless network, there is a power
connection to it, and the PE is located beyond the Wi-Fi range of the AP, or there are obstructions, such
as thick walls, impeding Wi-Fi signals between them.
These are some ways to configure the PLA for Wi-Fi access in the PE location.
• Use the default PLA wireless settings (SSID = ZyXEL, no Wi-Fi key). No configuration is necessary, but the
PLA wireless network is open (no Wi-Fi key) and vulnerable.
• Copy the AP settings to the PLA using the WPS button. When using WPS to copy wireless settings, the
PLA4213 must be within 5 meters of the AP. After a successful copy, position them where you want
them in your Powerline network. This allows seamless wireless roaming between APN and PEN
networks but some wireless clients may have problems if they discover duplicate SSIDs. You also won’t
know if your wireless device is connecting to the APN or the PEN.
• Use the web configurator to configure a different SSID and Wi-Fi key on the PLA (SSID-2, Wi-Fi Key-2).
Roaming is not seamless as you need to manually connect to the PEN when the signal from the APN
becomes weak (and vice-versa).
Figure 18 Powerline Extended Wireless LAN
7.2 What You Can Do
• Use the General screen (Section 7.4 on page 34) to turn the wireless connection on or off, enter the
SSID, select the channel, and configure wireless security between the PLA and the wireless clients.
• Use the MAC Filter screen (Section 7.6 on page 40) to allow or deny wireless stations based on their
MAC addresses from connecting to the PLA.
• Use the Advanced screen (Section 7.7 on page 41) to configure wireless advanced features, such as
set the RTS/CTS Threshold and HT physical mode.
• Use the QoS screen (Section 7.8 on page 42) to enable Wi-fi MultiMedia Quality of Service
(WMMQoS). This allows the PLA to automatically set priority levels to services, such as e-mail, VoIP,
chat, and so on.
• Use the WPS screen (Section 7.9 on page 43) to quickly set up a wireless network with strong security,
without having to configure security settings manually.
• Use the WPS Station screen (Section 7.10 on page 44) to add a wireless station using WPS.